John Muldoon only got his chance with Connacht after a stream of senior players left the extinction-threatened province.
“Everyone that could jump ship did.”
That was John Muldoon’s take on 2003, the year Connacht survived an IRFU culling to save the union a couple of million.
The Portumna native broke into the senior squad around the same time thousands of Connacht supporters marched on the union’s plush Lansdowne Road headquarters to plead for their existence.
Heineken Cup rugby – and those fantastic wins over Harlequins, Biarritz and Toulouse – must have seemed like the reward for those fans but a richer one could yet be in store. On Saturday, in Edinburgh, Connacht could be crowned Guinness PRO12 champions.
.@connachtrugby are off to Edinburgh and the whole bloody province is coming with them #PRO12finall https://t.co/JsRLa2gC5O
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 21, 2016
Not a bad turnaround in 13 years and all of it – every single minute – experienced by Muldoon.
The 33-year-old had a fantastic game. He made 44 metres off 10 carries and beat a couple of Glasgow Warriors while he was at it. He successfully landed all his tackles, stole a line-out and was prominent in attack as Connacht won this on the front-foot. Post-match, he said:
“[Making the final] is huge. You’ve got to pinch yourself.
“I said to [Leinster bound] Robbie Henshaw before I left the dressing room, ‘You’ve got one more game left after this’. He just gave me a wry, little smile.”
The captain conceded that there had been moments of apprehension, before and during the 16-11 win, but paid credit to the home support ‘for getting us over the line’.
Upon hearing that BBC Scotland had described Connacht as “unstoppable”, Muldoon muttered ‘Oh God’. Connacht are unused to the gushing but, in Muldoon and Pat Lam, they have a coach and captain that will keep them on terra firma.
Muldoon referred to Leinster’s 30-18 win over Ulster a few times, reserving the highest praise for Jamie Heaslip and Johnny Sexton. Watching Leinster’s semi-final with friends, Muldoon  declared ‘it’s over’ after they held out an Ulster surge before responding with a Heaslip try. He continued:
“It’s a little bit surreal at times – where we’ve come from and what we’ve done.Â
“We’re in a final, which is superb, but we’ve got to win the shagging thing now.”
In 2010, Muldoon was part of the Connacht squad that finished rock bottom of the Magners League.
In 2011/12, he was there for the 15-match losing streak that dragged on for 112 painful days.
Muldoon was there for the good times too, and played a big part in earning those victories for the fans to celebrate.
Nothing yet has eclipsed the feeling of flying back to Galway, in December 2013, after beating four-time Heineken Cup winners Toulouse on their home turf. Flying home to Galway after beating Leinster at Murrayfield would definitely top it.
“I’m delighted for everyone out there,” Muldoon declared on Saturday.
“There are lots of people supporting Connacht Rugby for longer than I have. It’s great for all of them and it was good to see a few ex-players in the crowd as well; enjoying it.
“As much as we take advantage of the heroics of now, you’ve got to look back at all those people that put in a lot of effort. Coaches, people… Eric Elwood texted me last night, getting in before the crowd. I’m delighted for someone like him, who has given a lot.
“It’s fantastic but we’ve won nothing yet.”
